a SY: ca__ Castlegar News November 1, 1967 MONTREAL (CP) — The Montreal Heart Insti. tute reports doctors there have unblocked a patient's coronary artery using a laser probe to melt the ob- struction. Dr. Raoul Bonan and a team of SCIENCE Stress affects sleep TORONTO (CP) — Mary glares at her clock as it ticks away precious sleeping time before her job inter- view. She has tried drinking a glass of warm milk and counting sheep, but she just keeps tossing and turning. Mary, who has problems getting to sleep during tense situations, is one of the most typical types of in- somniacs, says Dr. Mortimer Mamelak. He's the founder and director of the sleep disorders clinie at Sunnybrook Medical Centre in Toronto, one of about a dozen such clinics in hospitals across Canada. “A lot of insomnia is caused by stress related to family, job or health problems,” says Mamelak, adding that is insomnia only when it affects per- formed what is called a preutaneous coronary laser thermal angioplasty on Richard Davidson, 68, of La Tuque, Que., by run- ning a thin tube through an incision in the pelvie region into an artery up toa point where plaque was blocking the flow of blood from the heart. They then used a laser the size of a pen tip to generate heat to dissolve part of the fatty material. Bonan compared the pro- cedure to frying bacon: “The grease melts, but the meat remains.” Not all the plaque was dissolved by the laser, he said, and the more con- ventional procedure was then performed by insert- ing a balloon into the artery and inflating it at the site of the plaque to allow the blood to flow around what remained of the blockage. Bonan said about 20 per cent of patients who un- the six months for further treatment. With the laser technique, he said, 40 per cent of the plaque can be dissolved permanently. ‘The laser technique has been used about 20 times worldwide, he said. This was the first time it was used in Canada on a cor- onary artery. However, the institute tried it on leg arteries last March. Davidson said he could feel a “radical change” since the operation. “I can breathe quite easily now,” he said. Get good fitting lenses OTTAWA (CP) — People thinking about buying con tact lenses should make sure they are examined by a prac- titioner who has taken some structured courses in lens fitting and diseases and dis- orders of the eye, says the Canadian Ophthalmological Society. Poorly fitted lenses can damage the eye and new lenses should be monitored for several months after fit- ting, says the society, an organization of eye physi- cians and surgeons. The association also warns that contact lens wearers should: keep lenses away from extreme heat or cold; use the correct cleaning and soaking solutions for the type of lenses worn; avoid using solutions after the expiry date. 2649 FOURTH CASTLEGAR 8 © vin 281 R NEWS anes eoe castuegs (FPaLcON PAINTING & DECORATING AVENUE 365 3563 daytime behavior. STUDY PATTERNS Mamelak’s patients stay in the clinic for a 24-hour period. He watches their breathing patterns and muscle movements as they sleep at night, and they are also “put to bed” four times during the day for further observation. ‘At the Sunnybrook clinic, which opened 14 years ago, Mamelak has discovered patients with two other typical sleep patterns: — Karen is wide awake at a bar, drinking and listening to loud music. She doesn't plan to even think about sleep for another hour or two. The next day, after her fifth cup of coffee, she is still not yet fully awake but she figures she'll cateh up on her sleep on the weekend. — Peter can't sleep because he has a stack of office papers to go through and knows that even when he goes to bed, he won't be able to sleep right away anyway. He curses his doctors for not giving him the sleeping pills he asked for. Peter makes a board meeting the next day feeling fine. But he decides to cancel his 6 p.m. squash game because he knows he won't have any energy left. The occasional sleepless night is normal, Mamelak says. Sometimes individuals can't sleep if they have a big event the next day or on hot summer nights. But he says those who fit Karen's sleeping pattern — caffeine, alcohol and sleeping in on weekends — soon find out it’s a poor alternative to regular sleep. “Virtually everyone needs about seven to eight hours of sleep every night,” says Mamelak. Some people can sleep only six hours or less one night and feel fine. But for most, “if this pattern con- tinues, their health will eventually start to suffer.” People like Peter suffer from insomnia because they go to bed with their minds still racing — “with all (their) guns blazing.” Women and the elderly are also more likely to have chronic insomnia, says Mamelak. While insomnia is the No. 1 complaint Mamelak hears, he also deals with problems such as snoring, sleep- walking, psy (recurring of ir daytime sleepiness), muscle twitches, bedwetting, night- mares and shift workers who have to sleep during the day. Some popular health books offer remedies for insomnia, such as imagining yourself in a room of black velvet, sleeping on Chinese herbal pillows or having sex. “If it works for you, great,” Mamelak says. But he offers these tips for those who have problems sleeping: © Try to go to bed and get up at the same times every day. Don’t read, eat or watch TV while in bed. © Try to do something relaxing for the hour before you go to bed. e Don't exercise or do any “alerting” activities before going to bed. e Don’t drink alcohol in the evening — it is initially a but acts as a sti as it wears off. " ¢ Don't drink tea or coffee past about 3 p.m. @ Cover the clock face beside your bed. That's so you don't keep yourself awake by dwelling on how much sleep time you're missing. A GOOD ALTERNATIVE FOR YOu! Castlegar Savings Credit Union has a better alternative to the Canada Savings Bond! e Higher lriterest Rates e Interest Paid Annually or Monthly e Terms to Suit Your Needs Le} CASTLEGAR SAVINGS CREDIT UNION Slocan Park 226-7212 Castlegar 365-7232 Electronic ear helps girl hear Shell invites you to QUEBEC (CP) — An eight- year-old girl who has been completely deaf since the age of three can hear her mother’s voice again — with the aid of an electronic ear. Marie-Andree Boivin GET INTO THE GAMES underwent an operation Aug. 26 at the Hotel-Dieu Hospital in which an implant with 22 electrodes was grafted onto the auditory nerve in her inner ear. Dr. Pierre Ferron, a de- partment head at the hos- pital, activated the elec- trodes and declared the op- eration a success. Marie-Andree’s parents, \Y Denis Boivin, 37, and Gae- tane, 36, watched as Ferron \ and hearing expert Michel Desgagne carried out a series f tests. “After about 1 minutes, the girl's mother was handed a microphone. “Is it like you thought it would be?” the mother asked. “Does it feel strange?” Marie-Andree, who lost her hearing as a result of meningitis, nodded vigorous- “She can do anything now,” Ferron said, adding there was still much work to do before she can hear norm- ally. “At present, despite her condition, she has a vocabulary and can form nearly totally structured sentences,” he said. “She'll be able to speak normally after a re-education of four, five or six months.” Ferron said he has per- formed the operation prev- iously on eight adults but his greatest hope was to make a child hear again. 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If you have any questions about Shell’s Olympic promotions please call the Shell Helps Centre 1-800-661-1600 Only oN *Plus provincial sales tax where applicable. **No purchase required paportacci ‘Approximate total retail value of prize $8,000. See your participating Shell dealer for complete contest rules. Sotho! Mort © Conacion Cry, Association 1! Marque othcielle © Associaton olympique ‘Sanadionne 1979 Legislative Library. Parliament Bldgs.. 501 Bellevilts Victoria, B.C. 28 ~ Castle Vol. 40, No. 68 News CASTLEGAR, BRITISH COLUMBIA, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1987 3 Sections (A, B& C) Fire destroys vacant house By RON NORMAN Editor Police suspect mischief in a fire late Halloween night that destroyed a vacant north Castlegar home. Castlegar RCMP are still investi- gating the blaze at 302 Fir Street, which was reported about 11:30 p.m. Saturday. Fire Chief Bob Mann said the house was totally engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived on the scene. A total of 17 firemen and three pumper trucks responded to the call. “Tt was actually under control in about 20 to 25 minutes,” Mann said. However, it took firefighters until the early hours of Sunday morning to com- pletely subdue the fire because the house's sawdust insulation was difficult to extinguish. CRTC DEADLINE Mann said crews spent about three hours on the fire and a firefighter was left to wateh over the poe y: weed ruins until RCMP, Mann and the fire commissioner ‘returned Sunday: after- noon to search through the gutted house. The house is owned by Peter Chernoff, but Mann said it has been vacant for about five years. He said the windows were smashed out and youths had been entering the house for some time before the fire. ‘The house was valued at $5,000 and was uninsured.” Mann said ‘about 12 firefighters were on standby Halloween ec s both the north and south firehalls guard against any problems. aah said he was particularly con- cerned about the historic CP Rail station, which was slated for moving this week. Mann said firemen found car tires, around an electrical building near the said about nine firemen responded to a fire about 10:30 p.m. Friday in the underpass near Mitchell's pc Mire on 18th Avenue. In that instance car tires were set ao fire, destroying three overhead lights in the underpass. Meanwhile, RCMP report an otherwise quiet Halloween weekend. Cpl. Andy Rowe said there were a Brisco wins battle By SURJ RATTAN Staff Writer Kootenay West MP Bob Brisco has won his personal battle with the Canadian Radio-television and Tele-